A prefix is a group of letters attached to the beginning of a root or word (or even group of words) serving to modify and/or extend meaning. Prefixes generally have an easily understood meaning in and of themselves, which they apply to the root word to which they are affixed. For example, “un” is a negative prefix which will change the otherwise positive word “happy” into “unhappy”.

A suffix is a group of letters attached to the end of a root or word (or even group of words) serving a grammatical function. For example, a suffix can indicate the part of speech of a word just as it can modify and extend meaning.  The suffix “ism”, for instance, means “a belief in.”  So when you take the word commune and add the suffix “ism”, you create the new word (and new meaning) communism.

Understanding prefixes and suffixes for kids is an important part of learning English grammar. Just as teaching kids root words is crucial to improving general reading comprehension skills, so does learning prefixes and using prefixes greatly increase kids’ vocabulary. Knowing prefix and suffix meanings and definitions also helps students see and use context and etymological clues, allowing them to make educated guesses about the meaning of unfamiliar words.

As numerous prefixes and suffixes are derived from Greek and Latin roots, ESL students and teachers can benefit from a multi-lingual approach to the meanings of each.  Teaching kids prefixes and suffixes early on helps build a strong foundation of parts of speech which will be very useful later on when taking graduate and professional school entrance exams — especially since there are many questions regarding each on the GRE itself.

Whether learning or teaching prefixes and suffixes, there are excellent resources for creating worksheets as well as activities and lists online. Fun prefix games for kids are also a great way to embark on prefix learning. Kids and adults alike enjoy learning about suffixes through fun word matching games, such as the ones on Vocabulary.co.il.

Prefix Games for all grade levels on Vocabulary.co.il

Suffix Games for all grade levels on Vocabulary.co.il

(http://www.vocabulary.co.il/2010/09/learning-vocabulary-with-prefixes-and-suffixes/)